Automatic recording system for radio time-signals.



F. D. URIE.

AUTOMATIC RECORDING SYSTEM FOR RADIO TIME SIGNALS.

APPLICATION FILED pEc.19.1914.

1,202,925. Patented Oct. 31,1916.

FRANK D. URIE, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC RECORDING SYSTEM FOR RADIO TIME-SIGNALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

Application filed December 19, 1914. Serial No. 878,102.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK D.- URIE, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Elgin, in the county of Kane, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Recording Systems for Radio Time-Signals, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to the receiving, recording and comparing of radio signals, and has for its principal object the accurate comparison, by means of radio or wireless electric impulses, of time at a receiving or local station with time at a sending or distant station.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide an organization of wireless receiving apparatus and circuits, an intensifying system for the impulses received thereby, relays controlled by the intensified impulses, in combination with an electric chronograph upon which are registered for comparison the record of the wlreless impulses received from a distance, and local impulses originating at the local station where the receiving system is located.

As a practical illustration and application of the invention it may be observed that certain standard clocks, such as at Washington, D. (3., are equipped for sending radio impulses at intervals of one second, and in order to compare accurately with this standard clock the local clocks at various stations it is necessary to provide measurements down to very smallfractions of. a second.

This is accomplished by the practice of my invention, which therefore consists inthe combination and arrangement of apparatus and circuits hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a sending station from which the standard time impulses are sent out; no specific impulse generating means being shown; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus and circuits at the local or receiving station; and

Fig. 2* is a diagram of the apparatus and circuits for generating the local time elecmeans shown being contacts 0 cooperating with a moving part of the clock, such as the pendulum, for the purpose of generating impulses at intervals of one second. Any suitable wave generating apparatus and circuits may be used at the sending station, and it is therefore considered unnecessary to complicate the drawing by showing this portion of the equipment of the sending station.

At the receivingor local station the radio impulses are received through the aerial or antenna A connected to ground Gr throug variable condenser K in parallel with pri mary of the transformer I. The impulses or oscillations are communicated through transformer I, of which i and i are the primary and secondary windings respectively, to the receiving circuit which includes a crystal detector D or other device sensitive to the electrical oscillations. Variable condenser K is bridged across this circuit, as' is also condenser K This is one of the standard types of receiving circuits and apparatus, and it will be understood that other forms of detectors and receivers may be employed in place of those shown.

In order to intensify or amplify the impulses or currents in the detector circuit I provide a set of audion detectors, as shown in the drawing. These detectors are well known to those skilled in the art, so that a detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary, but a brief description 'may be desirable for the proper understanding of my invention. Each of the detectors comprises a filament F mounted within an evacuated container, a plate P which may be of platinum or other suitable material, and a grid 9. One side of the detector circuit is connected by conductor 1 with grid g of the firstaudion detector D and the other side of the detector circuit is connected by conductor 2 with one terminal of filament F. The other terminal of filament F is connected by conductor 3 with one terminal of a small battery I), the other terminal of said battery being connected through rheostat R with the first mentioned-terminal of filament F. Conductor 3 also connects with.

cluding between said connections the self-' induction coil I The remaining audion detectors, with their respective batteries and rheostats are similarly connected with the exception of the last, the terminals of which are connected to sensitive relay 1'. As this and the other relays herein mentioned are well known constructions detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary, but it will be observed that all of the relay circuits are break circuits. As relay 1" is too delicate to control a circuit including a strong source of current, I connect to its controlled circuit a second relay, which may be termed a pony relay 7' in the circuit of which is included a battery and a regulating rheostat, a condenser being bridged across this circuit. Relay r controls the circuit of electro-magnet E of an electric chronograph the record cylinder of which is indicated at e and the clock mechanism at e. The cir cuit of electro-magnet E includes an adjusting rheostat, and a battery having sufli cient strength tooperate the armature e of the magnet which controls the stylus of the chronograph. These parts are shown diagrammatically as this apparatusis well known in the art.

In order to compare the intervals of the time at the local or receiving station with those indicated by wireless emanations from the standard transmitting station, I providethe local clock C with means for making and breaking a local circuit at predetermined intervals. If the impulses so generated were permitted to act directly upon the chronograph there would be a discrepancy in the comparison with the intervals of the standard clock, owing to the time lag of the wireless receiving apparatus and relays employed for operating the chronograph. I therefore utilize means at the receiving station for generating radio impulses corresponding to the time intervals of the local clock, these local radio impulses being capable of affecting the radio receiving apparatus at the local station. This is accomplished by providing contacts H which are controlled by electro-magnet h in the circuit which is made and broken by the local clock C the circuit which includes these contacts II also includin a battery k of-suflicient strength to produce a spark which will give rise to the desired radio impulses. This circuit may also include other apparatus such as a sounder J which may be located at any desired point in the station. It will thus be seen that the time lag of the apparatus at the receiving station, being common to the standard clock impulses and'the local clock impulses, may be disregarded.

It will be understood that the various apparatus and parts thereof are shown merely diagrammatically and that in practice the proper arrangement and proportioning of the parts is readily effected. It will also'be understood that suitable precautions will be taken to prevent certainparts of the apparatus from interfering with the operation of other parts. For instance, if the breaking of any of the relay or electro-magnet circuits should result in sparks which interfere with the operation of the wave generating contacts H they will be provided with suitable screens to prevent the radiation of the interfering impulses.

The operation of the system may be briefly described as follows: It may be assumed that the standard clock C atthe sending station is arranged to send radio impulses at intervals of one second, and that the local clock C at the local or receiving station, the intervals of which are to be compared with those.

of the'standard clock, is similarly arranged to cause the generation of radio impulses at contacts H. Both of these sets of impulses will affect the detector D of the receiving station and the impulses thereby caused in the receiving circuit'will be amplified or intensified by the successive action of the audion detectors and their associated batteries and circuits. Of course the number of these audion detectors is optional, and a greater or less number than those shown may be employed if desired. The impulses so In addition to the above described use of the system, the system may also be employed for recording regular wireless telegraphic messages by dots and dashes or any other code system, and it has already been successfully so employed at great distances. It will be understood, therefore, that I am not limited to the particular application of the invention described. The apparatus described or any portion thereof may be used for other purposes without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a system for comparing time at a receiving station withtime at a sending station, the-combination with a sending station having means for generating periodic time radio impulses, of a receiving station having receiving means for said impulses, means for intensifying the received impulses, means for generating time periodic electrical impulses at the receiving station, and a device for recording said sets of impulses for relative comparison.

2. In a system for comparing time at a receiving station with time at a sending station, the combination with a sending station having means for generating periodic time,

radio impulses, of a receiving station having recelving means for sa1d impulses, means for mtenslfylng the received 1mpulses, means for generating periodic time electric impulses at the receiving station, a relay controlled by said intensified impulses, a local circuit controlled by said relay, and an electric chronograph operated by said local circuit and said periodic time impulses generated at the receiving station.

3. In a system for comparing time at a receiving station with time at a sending station, the combination with a sending station having means for generating periodic time radio impulses, a receiving station having receiving means for said impulses, a series of audion detector intensifiers for said received .impulses, means for generating per'iodic time electric impulses at the receiving station, and a'device for recording said sets 1 of impulses for relative comparison. 4. In a system for comparing tlme at a receiving station with time at a sending station, the combination with a sending station having means for generating periodic time radio impulses, a receiving station having receiving means for said impulses a series f audion detector intensifiers for said received impulses, means for generating peri odic time electric impulses at the receiving station, a relay controlled by said intensified impulses, a local circuit controlled by said relay, and an electric chronograph operated by saidlocal circuit and said periodic time impulses generated at the receiving station.

5. in a system for comparing time at a receiving station with time'at a sending station, the combination with a sending station having means for generating periodic time radio impulses, of a receiving station having radio receiving means, means for intensifying the received. impulses, means for generating periodic time radio impulses at the receiving station capable of affecting said receiver, and a device for recording both sets of impulses for relative comparison.

6. In a system for comparing time at a receiving station with time at a sending station, the combination with a sending station having means for generating periodic time radio impulses, of a receiving station having radio receiving means for intensifying the received impulses, means for generating periodic time radio impulses at the receiving station capable of affecting said receiver, a relay controlled by said intensified impulses, a local circuit controlled by said relay, and an electric chronograph operated by said local circuit and said periodic time impulses generated at the receiving station.

7. In a system for comparing time at a receiving station with time at a sending station, the combination with a sending station having means for generating periodic time radio impulses, of a receiving station having radio receiving means, a series of audion detector intensifiers for said received impulses, means for generating periodic time electric impulses at the receiving station, and a device for recording said sets of impulses for relative comparison.

8. In a system for comparing time at a receiving station with time at a, sending station, the combination with a sending station having means for generating periodic time radio impulses, of a receivingstation having radio receiving means, a series of audion V detector intensifiersv for said received impulses, means for generating periodic time electric impulses at the receiving station, a relay controlled by said intensified impulses, a local circuit controlled by said relay, and an electric chronograph operated by said local circuit and said local periodic time impulses generated at the receiving station.

9. A receiving device having means for receiving radio time signals from a distant station, means for intensifying the received impulses, means for generating in proximity to said receiving means periodic time radio impulses capable of affecting said receiving means, and a device for recording said impulses for comparison.

10. A receiving station having radio time signal receiving means, means for intensifying the received signal impulses, a local lIil clock at the receiving station, a circuit,

periodically opened and closed by said clock, other impulses from a distant station afiectan electro-magnet operatedthrough said cirin% said receiving means. cuit, a circuit at the receiving station inn testimony whereof, I flix my signature eluding a source of current and contacts in the presence of two wltnesses.

5 controlled by said electro-ma net to produce FRANK D. URIE.

radio impulses capable of a ecting said re- Witnesses: ceiver, and a device for recording for rela- A. M. PARKINs,

tiVe comparison said impulses together With 7 G. B. WRIGHT. 

